Dubai Aquarium

Thursday 22 February 2018 (UAE)

Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo

The Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo is a large fishtank in The Dubai Mall, hosting thousands of fish and other underwater wildlife for visitors and residents to watch. No fishing allowed though. Enter the tunnel on the ground floor, or go to level 2 to visit at the Underwater Zoo. View the fish for free from far away on ground floor, level 1 or 2, or buy a ticket for the tunnel to stand up close and make funny faces while the fish wonder if you really are the most intelligent species on the planet. You can press your nose against the glass for free if you walk behind the aquarium on level 1 (where Chillis, Romano's Macaroni & Grill, and H&M are), or sometimes downstairs behind the tunnel entrance or exit (if it's not roped off).

On 02 June 2010, the UAE Ministry of Education gave their official approval for school trips to the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo in an agreement signed with Emaar Retail. So does that mean that students have to swim with the sharks to get their A-levels in Fishing?

Three different zones - Living Ocean, Rainforest, Rocky Shore?

Night Safaris at Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo

Walk through a jungle rainforest with headlamp and safari tour guide to get a Night Safari feeling in a shopping mall.

Night Safaris available 04 January 2012 to 29 February 2012 (announced 15 December 2012)? Extended to 31 March 2012 (announced 20 March 2012).

Discount of 30% on ticket prices for UAE residents (bring UAE ID card according to announcement, unknown if passport with residence visa or driver's licence is acceptable).

The Ocean School

Dubai Aquarium has ocean education programs for school students. Teachers can register on the Dubai Aquarium website for more information about how to bunk off for a day while their pupils learn something fishy.

Programs available for students from KG to Grade 12 in both Arabic and English.

Dubai Mall Aquarium leak

On 25 February 2010 a crack developed and the Dubai Mall Aquarium started leaking, resulting in a partial evacuation of the Dubai Mall, a cleaner floor, and discounted fish and chips at the food court.

"There was a small problem, a simple crack, and the water leaked," according to an unidentified police officer, as reported by Reuters.

A statement from The Dubai Mall said "A leakage was noticed at one of the panel joints of the Dubai Aquarium at The Dubai Mall and was immediately fixed by the aquarium's maintenance team. The leakage did not impact the aquarium environment or the safety of the aquatic animals."

But a statement on the WAM website (the UAE official news agency) with the headline "Al Abbar scotches rumours over aquarium leakage in Dubai Mall" reported that Mohammed Ali Alabbar, the Emaar Chairman, denied the reports of leaking water (or maybe leaking fish) - he "brushed aside the rumours circulated by public that the aquarium in Dubai Mall has a leakage", and said there was a "technical fault in the operating device," whatever that means. Later on the same day, the report was withdrawn from the WAM website.

Unknown if Dubai Mall Aquarium staff were looking for a Dutch diver to stick his finger in the crack until someone could come back from Ace Hardware with a tube of silicone sealant.

Forumers, twitterers, and Chicken Little were distraught and reported a major disaster in Dubai, saying things like the fish tank had "exploded." As far as we know, the aquarium is still there, and the fish are still peering through the glass (or perspex), wondering if everyone disappeared to update their twit accounts and telephone the British press to report another Dubai goes glug glug glug story.

Big fish eating small fish

There were reports in September 2008 of shark attacks at the Dubai Mall Aquarium - some of the Sand Tiger Sharks were eating the smaller fish and licking their lips when divers entered the tank.

An 18 September 2008 report in the Khaleej Times said that the sharks had killed 40 smaller sharks, damaged divers' equipment and had a crack at the divers also.

The general manager of The Dubai Mall, Yousif Al Ali, reportedly said "During the stages of setting up the aquarium, two cases of minor injuries were reported and were immediately attended to by the on-site medical team". Presumably he was talking about the divers, not the fish.

A few months later the Dubai Aquarium said that the sharks had been trained to only eat the food that was given to them, and not to leave their vegetables behind or they wouldn't get a dessert.

Dubai Aquarium summer camp for kids 2009

Summer Fun Camp for children over 5 years old, available from 28 June to 27 August 2009, 0900-1400 (9am-2pm)